


Ask For What You Want

by somanyopentabs



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Dime - Freeform, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, Platonic Relationships, mentions of Kougami Shinya/Tsunemori Akane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 11:05:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2848649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somanyopentabs/pseuds/somanyopentabs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Sibyl System matched her with compatible people.  It was highly likely that any one of them could have been good for her.</p>
<p>But Akane Tsunemori had made up her own mind already.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ask For What You Want

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Psycho-Pass Secret Santa 2014 for tumblr user direwolves. I hope you enjoy this! Happy Holidays!!!! :)

“What are you looking at?” Ginoza asked. He’d wandered into Karanomori’s computer lab in search of Kunizuka, who had some data he needed. Sure enough, she was sprawled lazily on the couch next to the computer expert herself, watching as Karanomori scrolled through what appeared to be an array of profiles on her screen.

“Tsunemori’s rather extensive list of potential matches,” Karanomori answered distractedly. She looked over her shoulder to smile at Ginoza when she was answered with his silence.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Don’t be such a spoilsport. Besides, it’s not like I had to hack into this. It’s public information in the Sibyl System.”

Despite his better judgment, Ginoza’s eyes were drawn to the screen. Some of the names were familiar. Of course they were. There were some government names. Politicians, businessmen and women, people of higher standing. Higher up than he was even before he was demoted.

Ginoza felt rejected, somehow. Which was ridiculous. This had nothing to do with him. Why should he take a computer algorithm personally?

Nevertheless, he had the dreadful feeling that if he checked his hue right now, it would be completely dark.

Of course, Tsunemori would pick that time to waltz into the room while Ginoza felt his stomach tie itself into knots.

“Hi, everyone. Karanomori, do you have that report that was sent in earlier?”

“Ah, yes.” Karanomori didn’t bother to exit out of her previous screen as she brought up the requested report.

“And what’s that?” Tsunemori asked.

Ginoza’s felt his insides twist uncomfortably.

“You never told us you had such a vast dating pool,” Karanomori answered, her voice unaffected by the question. “Have you dated anyone listed here?”

Ginoza looked at Tsunemori out of the corner of his eyes and waited for her to be angry, embarrassed, or both. He certainly would be, if he was in her place.

Instead, she laughed. “That’s kind of personal, don’t you think?”

Karanomori pouted. “I’m curious. Humor me, won’t you? A little diversion never hurt anybody.”

Her hand found Kunizuka’s as she spoke. Kunizuka didn't speak up, but Ginoza could tell by the look in her eyes that she was curious about Tsunemori's answer as well.

“Well, it’s not like I have anything to hide. You might as well know. I’ve never even met any of my matches.”

“Really?” Karanomori said, looking at her with renewed interest. “Why not?”

Tsunemori shrugged. “I guess I don’t really think about it much. And I’m always working. Email me that report, okay? I've got to run. Thanks!”

She left without another word. Ginoza wanted to follow after her, but made himself wait a few minutes before leaving the room. He realized later that he’d completely forgotten to get the data he’d needed from Kunizuka.

 

~  
~

 

Ginoza reprimanded himself for feeling a small spark of happiness when his shifts coincided with Tsunemori’s. Her calm presence next to him shouldn’t evoke what it did—a yearning. For what, he wasn't exactly sure. Despite the fact that he was handling his emotions much better these days, he still couldn't pinpoint what exactly he felt for the young Inspector.

Certainly, a protective urge was one thing. But it was one amongst a myriad of feelings. No wonder his hue was clouded; his mind was like a fog.

Every time they went out on an assignment together, Ginoza was reminded of how much Tsunemori didn’t need his protection. And at that point, it was the only thing he had to offer her.

And she didn’t even need it.

Sometimes Ginoza wondered whether Tsunemori was getting tired of his concern. She never silenced him when he voiced his worries.

On their way back to the PSB, Ginoza was looking out of the window while Tsunemori drove, her eyes fixed on the road. Without thinking, he let his head rest on the glass.

“Are you tired?” Tsunemori asked.

“What? No.” He shook himself and straightened his posture.

“It’s okay if you are. We can do the reports in the morning.”

“I’m fine.” But he wasn’t. He’d been weary, lately. Wondering if it would be all right for him to ask his Inspector whether she wouldn’t like to spend some time with him. Outside of work. God, just thinking about it while sitting next to her made him nervous. He hid his face by staring out the window again, watching the scenery fly by.

 

~  
~

 

Ginoza was sitting down in the cafeteria with his tray when Tsunemori walked over and sat down across from him, smiling at him over a cup of coffee. 

Suddenly, he had no appetite. 

It wasn't like she never sat with him before, but usually they were in a group. Yayoi and Shion would sit next to each other in their own little world, but they were approachable enough. Today, they didn't share the same schedule, however, and the cafeteria was mostly empty.

“How are you?” she asked.

He made a noncommittal sound and shoved some food around on his plate.

“It’s a nice day for the park,” she said.

 

~  
~

 

Dime ran across the grass—actual grass, not the synthetic stuff that seemed to be almost everywhere these days. Ginoza leaned against a tree that he was pretty sure was created in a lab. Real trees were perfectly imperfect, unlike this one, which was designed to be flawless. 

He wondered why today, of all days, Tsunemori would ask him to come here. He’d been to this park before, when he was an Inspector. 

Tsunemori threw a Frisbee and watched Dime catch it and return it to her. 

Probably, Ginoza was over-thinking things again. Why did Tsunemori do anything? She had no ulterior motives. Everything she did was done with optimistic recklessness, completely without style, but with more integrity than he'd ever known anyone else to possess.

“It’s warm out,” Tsunemori said as she wandered closer to where he was. She offered him a water bottle, and he took it.

“Shouldn’t we head back soon?” Not that he wanted to.

“I’m not busy today.”

Ginoza tossed the bottle back to her and slumped to the ground, wanting to feel the grass underneath his fingertips. He’d always liked being outside. He would have grown a garden, eventually. If he hadn’t become an Enforcer. Now he’d have to make do with potted plants forever.

Tsunemori sat down beside him. Dime trotted back over to them and panted until Tsunemori let the Frisbee fly into the air once again.

“He likes you,” Ginoza said. The earth felt solid beneath his hand, the one that still had feeling in it.

Tsunemori laughed, a sound light as the air around them. “We should come out more often. I don’t know why we don’t.”

Ginoza bit at his lip. “You’ve got to spend some time away from work.”

“Well, this isn’t really work. Is it?”

“No, but I’m your colleague.”

Tsunemori hummed, like she only partly agreed. “So you think we can’t be friends?”

Ginoza’s heart thudded in his chest. Why was he arguing with her? He’d wanted, more than anything, to spend time with her. Why, now, was he attempting to self-destruct? 

“I think you shouldn’t spend too much time with your colleagues. Not when you could be spending time with those you could…have a future with.”

“What are you talking about?"

Ginoza brought his knees up to his chest. It wasn’t that he wanted to push her away. But if she was going to leave them all for some big wig politician or businessperson, then he’d rather not get used to having her around like this.

Dime ran back over to them, tail wagging. Ginoza took the opportunity to play tug of war with the Frisbee, just so he wouldn’t have to answer Tsunemori’s question.

“Ginoza,” she said, her voice taking on a note of authority. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate your company,” he said.

“Then what is it?” 

The wind blew a piece of Ginoza’s hair into his face, and Tsunemori took the opportunity to brush it away. It was enough contact to make Ginoza’s breath hitch in his throat.

When Ginoza didn’t answer again, Tsunemori changed the subject. 

“You know, I’m not sure if I’ve ever told you, but I’m glad you’ve been keeping your bangs shorter.”

“Oh?” The turn the conversation had taken threw him off.

“You look nice.”

“I--,” Ginoza started to say. What should he say? “Is that something my Inspector should tell me, Tsunemori?"

“No, it’s something a friend can tell you.”

Something about the way they were sitting next to each other made Ginoza think of Kogami. He was his best friend, after all. Before everything happened.

Kogami had been closer to Tsunemori than he had been, despite his warnings. If Ginoza had known how everything would turn out, would he have warned them away from each other? Almost certainly not, he thinks. He would have made so many different decisions. But he’d made an agreement with himself not to dwell on that, so he shook himself out of that train of thought.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” she said.

“Do you ever think about, well. About Kougami.” No sense in beating around the bush. If he wanted to know, he’d have to ask.

“Yes. I do.” It seemed she didn’t want to elaborate. But he’d been wondering for a while, and he didn’t know when chance to ask would come up again.

“Did you ever…you and Ko, I mean,” Ginoza asked, making a gesture with his hands that was meant to encompass everything he couldn’t say.

“Hmmm?”

“You were…well. If he hadn’t been your Enforcer. If things had been different. You would have been more to each other, wouldn’t you?”

“Maybe.” She sighed. “I don’t know. It’s hard to say how things would have been.”

“Of course.” He sighed, and was glad for the distraction when Dime jumped on him.

“If there was anyone, it would have been him,” Tsunemori continued, unprompted. “Now, there’s no one else who really understands, beyond the PSB. So you don’t have to worry about taking up my time.”

Ginoza frowned. He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea. He hadn’t even really known what he’d wanted from her until this point, because the answer was, apparently, to sit in the grass and be unhurried and truthful. “Tsunemori…I’m not--I’m not asking because I want anything inappropriate from you.”

“I know.” She smiled, and it was dazzling in the sunlight. “That’s why this is enough, don’t you think?”

Ginoza ran his non-prosthetic hand through his hair and met her gaze. Up above them, the sky was blue, unmarked by clouds. He couldn’t say that, sitting next to her, it was easy to forget. It was never easy to forget what they dealt with in their line of work. But, sitting next to her, it made the shared remembering so much easier. And yes, he nodded to her. This was enough for him. This was more than enough.

 

~end


End file.
